It’s no secret—our work lives and personal lives often feel like they’re competing in a never-ending tug-of-war. Whether you’re a business leader, a high achiever, trying to carve out a little more time for your health and wellbeing, or simply trying to keep your head above water in a demanding career, the elusive concept of “work-life balance” feels, well… impossible. That’s because, as Dr. Janna Koretz puts it, it kind of is.
“Work-life balance is not an accurate statement,” says Dr. Koretz, clinical psychologist and expert on leadership and mental health. “I prefer work-life integration because it is impossible to have balance all the time in our current work climate. Instead, people should focus on optimizing their health and overall well-being within the work constraints that they have.”
Dr. Koretz brings more than a decade of expertise to this conversation. Through her therapy practice, Azimuth, she has guided countless professionals in high-pressure fields like law, finance, and tech toward a healthier, more sustainable path. And now, she’s sharing her knowledge with us.
Curious about how to set boundaries, avoid burnout, or create a more psychologically-healthy workplace? You’re in the right place. Dr. Koretz’s Q&A is brimming with actionable tips and powerful insights to help you thrive.
Let’s dive in!
Alison: You talk a lot about work life integration. What does work life integration look like and how does striving for it differ from the elusive work life balance?
Dr. Koretz: Balance implies that things will feel equal and there will be a state of flow between work and home life, which is an impossible goal. Integration however, is about intertwining work and home life tasks, the goal is not to have an equal balance from each side, but instead a way to do tasks from each side efficiently, which usually means interspersed. Things like taking work calls when driving to pick up, generating grocery shopping list while on a zoom call you don’t really need to be a part of, or flexing you time so you can pick up your kids and have dinner, and finish up your work after that.
Alison: We all know how important self-care is for our ability to handle challenges and cope with stress. What advice can you give to those with high-pressure, “always-on” careers to successfully set a schedule for themselves that gives them “white space” for exercise, sleep, and decompression?
Dr. Koretz: It is important to set small, boring, and manageable goals. If you’re looking to sleep more, it is unrealistic to think you can go from sleeping 6 hours each night to 8 or 9. Instead, try to get to bed 15 minutes earlier for a few days or try to sleep in one weekend day. Smaller goals are more likely to succeed because they don’t require a great deal of behavior change or mental effort, and in aggregate these changes add up to make a huge difference. Small changes will also shift you into mindset where you realize you can really do things differently, which continues the cycle of change.
Alison: Setting a schedule is step one, but for those with high-pressure, “always-on” careers it can also be difficult to defend those boundaries with their boss, clients, and direct reports. What guidance can you share about creating and communicating boundaries so you can follow through with your personal self-care schedule?
Dr. Koretz: It is important to know your office culture, know your audience, and to be curious and kind. If you present your boundaries aggressively and without discussion, they will not be respected. Instead, being curious about how these boundaries will impact other people at work shows respect and that you’re open to creative solutions and working as a team to make sure everyone is taken care of.
Alison: How can leaders in high-pressure environments create more psychologically-healthy workplace?
Dr. Koretz: Leaders need to lead by relationship. The ability to take mental health days and other nods to promoting psychological health at work don’t mean anything if employees don’t know and trust their leadership. Leaders need to spend the time getting to know and listening to their employees to forge meaningful relationships so employees feel comfortable doing what they need to do for their mental health.
Alison: Any other tips for those with high-pressure, “always-on” careers to ward off personal and professional burnout?
Dr. Koretz: It is important to really evaluate your personal values. So much energy comes from really caring about valuing your job. And since most people have never taken the time to really think about what is important to them and why, their job tasks are often at odds with their values, which exacerbates burnout.
How can you start integrating work and life? Which of Dr. Koretz’s tips speaks to you most? —Alison
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Alison Heilig is the Editor-in-Chief at FBG and Head Hypewoman at Miles To Go Athletics. She divides her time between running, lifting, hiking with her dogs, snuggling with her dogs, and supporting strong women in the world (and coaching up those who aspire to be). You can find and connect with her on IG @itsalisonheilig.
